Confidence is an essential trait for nailing a job interview, especially when a sassy attitude is backed by stellar credentials. For the chronically insecure, there is nothing wrong with faking a little assurance in order to convince potential employers they are the right candidate for the job. Sadly, there are an assortment of stories where some workers took things a bit further, lied about their college degrees and diplomas and eventually paid the price in regards of public shaming or termination. Here are some PhonyDiploma.com's favorite tales of woe.
Statistics indicate that fake diplomas are big business; it is the backbone of the diploma mill. According to Spanish-language website People's Daily, nine Chinese suspects were recently busted for selling fake certificates from phony American universities. The "students" were sold what were marketed as legitimate diplomas, despite never having to step foot in a classroom during the process. Some of those victims paid up to $10k for the novelties.
Individuals who use phony diplomas for pleasure or for motivation are invited to join their purchase, however when used to falsify professional credentials for career advancement, problems will arise. Novelty diploma seller PhonyDiploma.com has previously reported on the issue where some prominent officials were caught lying about their past and using fake credentials to back up their story. Some other stories of novelty diploma fraud include:
Paul Alan White (aka Jonathan Alan Davenport)
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the nation's most powerful agencies, perhaps it is for that reason that White faked his credentials in order to join. The FBI recently caught the phony baloney who acted as a member in the CIA from 2011 to 201; his goal was to get the special privileges associated with the agency as well as getting access to official records.
Adam Wheeler
Harvard University is one of the world's most prestigious universities; Adam Wheeler falsified his credentials in order to become part of that student body. The Delaware resident was admitted to Harvard, using a counterfeit degree saying that he had attended an exclusive prep school as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was eventually caught and kicked out of the school when he was applied for Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships and tried to get the Ivy league school to endorse him. Because is application was brimming with lies, he was cold busted.
Wheeler is currently on probation, but that is not stopping him from continuing on his fraudulent path. He was also arrested for representing himself as a Harvard alumni on his resume.
Charles Abell
Fake credentials can help an individual erroneously rise to the top, one example has been demonstrated by the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Abell listed a master's degree from Columbus University on his resume. The school was found to be unaccredited and credentials exposed as fake. Despite that knowledge, Abell is still using those credentials.
Recruiters are often the first line of defense for insuring that potential job candidates are on the up-and-up. Aside from asking potential hires questions for vetting purposes, they need to also keep their eyes open for fake Bachelor's degrees, phony resumes and other fake credentials.